SNOW DAY!

Bailey, longing to go out to play in the 7-8 INCHES of snow that fell overnight. It was so perfect- the snow didn't start until after nightfall and by 8am, it was all done. Perfect day to play and enjoy the snow!

Just loved this pic.

Here is the 7-8 INCHES!
Pete and Bailey putting together snowballs
Snowball! The snow was perfect for snowballs/ snowman. Heavy and sticky.
Gloves...off....gloves on....gloves off.....ugggghhhhhh.

Our little cul-de-sac completely covered
our house :)

Pete's first snowman. Pete obviously had never seen snow before and was so, so, so excited to see it. He played outside with us for awhile and then just walked around the neighborhood soaking it in. He says he wants to move to Alaska, but we have to remind him that it gets even colder there then NC (and he thinks this is really cold :)).
Bailey and I also made snow angels and a princess snow castle before Taylor woke up from her nap. I wished Taylor could have enjoyed it, but I thought that crawling would be difficult in 7 inches of snow and that snow + pneumonia weren't the best mix. We had tons of fun!

First Year Picks by me- Part 2

6. Vera Bradley Diaper Bag
My handsome husband bought me this diaper bag before Bailey was born and I have pretty much used it every day for 2 1/2 years! While I look forward to maybe one day carrying a purse again, this bag has been great. It is a good size and I love that I can wash it :). By on base during a sale or buy a closeout style to get a good deal- they are a little ridiculously priced.

7. Baby Gator DVD
Start em young, raise em right....I'm just saying. Go GATORS! While Blair was deployed the first time, this dvd allowed me to make a quick dinner.


8. GlamourMom Nursing Tanks
These are so good I wish they made them in non-nursing styles :). Very supportive with a lot of spandex so it fits Day 1 post partum to Day 300 when the baby weight is all gone. Thanks Gaye for helping me stock up on a couple!
9. Hands Free Pump Bra
I know this is a little personal, but if you are a working Mom or pump everyday, this is a MUST! I used this every day while pumping and brushed my teeth, put on my make-up etc. It was a huge time saver and helped me relax. Let's face it- who has time to sit and pump for 10-20 minutes with a newborn?

10. Nuk Pacifiers
Both my girls uses these (yes, Bailey still has a paci during her naps/bedtime- I know, I know....). They helped with the reflux issues with both and have been great (other then having to get up in the middle of the night and get it). Best couple bucks I ever spent!

This concludes my top 10, although I know of a few more things that I wouldn't live the first year without: Nubby sippy cups, Gerber prune baby food, bibs-lots of bibs, paci clip, Vaseline- better then any prescription lotion/cream, little travel high chair....

Let it Snow...

We are predicted to get 2-4" of snow tonight. WOW! I know this is nothing like those in DC, but still...that is a lot for living 15 minutes from the beach :). My parent's look like they are getting snow in Crestview, my bro/sis in law in Pensacola and my bro/sis in law in Troy, AL are getting snow for sure. Craziness. Pete has never seen snow and I am so excited for him to experience it. I know Bailey and him will have a ball playing around :). We are going to hunker down and just try and stay warm until the storm passes and the roads are cleared. As long as we have Dora and cereal we are good :).

I'm so much better!

Thank you so much for praying for my sweet Taylor. She is feeling so, so, so much better! She slept from 9-7:30 last night and woke up just waving to me:). She has been crawling, putting herself in a sitting position and trying to pull up on things (the fireplace being one of them)! I think she was wanting to do all these physical things for awhile now, but just didn't have the energy with all the trouble breathing. Poor girl! I've even had to start disciplining her (gently of course) b/c she has started getting herself in trouble! Yesterday she wrapped herself in the cable tv cord..... Thank you all again for praying. I've had so many people say that they are praying for Taylor and it means the world to me.

Snapshots

This week has been a little crazy with all that we've gone through with Taylor...here are some of the calmer parts :). Taylor and Bailey watching Little Mermaid for the fourth time....
Taylor really happy about her prunes. Yea for her eating again!
Bailey putting her shells on her fingers. Yummy!


We are really starting to miss Daddy, but am thankful we get to talk with him every day.

What in the world is all this nonsense?

As most of you know by now, Taylor was finally diagnosed with Pneumonia yesterday. After a few days full of tests and medications, she is now feeling better...FINALLY! We give her steroids twice a day, antibiotics twice a day and her nebulizer treatments at least 3 times per day. I am just so thankful that she is feeling better now :). She does the treatments so, so well and just hangs out breathing her nebs. What an awesome baby girl I have. I know she is feeling better b/c she has been crawling all over the place!

On another note, this week has made me appreciate Tricare. What a blessing not having to pay out of pocket expenses for all that she has gone through. This month alone her medical bills would tobble $2000 (allegist, Prescription formula, ER visit, Ped visits, RSV test, Xray, meds, etc....). Craziness. Thank you sweetie for working so hard to provide for our family!

Top Ten First Year Picks by me :) Part 1

I have been wanting to write a post about the 10 things that I consider a must-have for the first year of a baby's life. This is as much for my memory as to help anyone else :).

1. Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump

This Pump literally saved my babies lives as neither one latched on for several weeks. Especially with Bailey, this pump allowed me security in knowing that I had a ton of milk in the freezer that if something were to happen to me (Blair was deployed), Bailey would get her milk :)

2. Chicco Car Seat/ Travel System and Britax Boulevard Car Seat

This car seat is super easy to install. I love the "click" that it makes, letting you know the car seat is secure.

Love this car seat so much that I am going to get one just like it for Taylor. Goes up to 65 pounds, has side impact protection and has some of the highest safety ratings. Also super easy to install.



3. Moby Wrap/ Ergo Carrier

This wrap was great for the first 8 months. Taylor was snug as a bug and content as could be whenever in the wrap.



I just got this a few weeks ago, but it has been amazing. I have even carried Bailey (yes, all 33 pounds) comfortably on my back. I love this to put Taylor in for all our errands, as well as on my back when I am cooking! (That 5-6pm time slot is fussy a lot)

4. Velcro Swaddle Wraps and Blanket Sleeper

The wrap I use until they keep getting their hands out...

This is an awesome sleeper that comes in sizes all the way up to 5 I think. We keep our house cool, so these allow them to have "blanets" on safetly. Once walking, they make them with feet holes.

5. Dr. Brown bottles

These bottles were great with Bailey and Taylor. Bailey had horrible reflux and these really seemed to help!

The last 24 hours...

The last 24 hours has been full of fun... We went back to the Pediatrician and have had several nebulizer treatments (see Penguin above) along with more doses of steriods. We also had the fun time of taking Taylor to get a chest xray. They put her in this awful holder exactly like the one above. Poor girl. She seems to be feeling better as she slept much better last night and is talking up a storm. Thank you all for praying. I'm waiting to hear back the test results today.

Taylor's First ER Visit....

Taylor has been battling a viral Upper Respiratory Infection for a couple weeks now. I though she was turning the corner this week as she began to sleep better, eat better and overall seem to feel better. Last night was rough- she woke up every few hours coughing and then this morning she started to wheeze pretty significantly. My good friend Bethany picked Bailey up (THANK YOU!!!) and I took Taylor to the ER.... A nebulizer treatment and dose of steroids and she is SO much better. We have a couple more doses of the meds, but I hope that this will knock it out for good. She was a champ through it all :).

Sweet friends...

Emma and Bailey....sweet friends. What do girls do?


1. Hugs

2. Ring a round a rosie...
3. Play kitchen stuff all dressed up like a princess..
4. Peek A Boo

So much fun with girls! We also blew kisses and played hide and seek :)

It is all about the accessories.....

Bracelets....hair ties....
and bows...
She picks each one out and lets you know if it is not the one she wants! My girlie girl... I love her so much!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Uh, yeah. They are THAT good. Enjoy yours!

Taylor 9 months....sick version

Taylor turned 9 months old on Jan. 29th!

She has been a bit under the weather and is having a hard time fending off this cold...she finally seems to have turned the corner yesterday, but she spent her 9mo bday feeling like these pics :(.

Taylor, at 9 months you are:
-Filling out- you weighed 18lbs 12oz a week or so ago, so you probably are over 19lbs now!
-Drink your prescription formula, Elecare 6x/day averaging 3-6oz/ feeding. Still not much into real food...eating peaches/prunes/sweet potatoes when you feel like it.
-Sleep from 7:30-7am, waking up once or twice still :(. You take 2 naps, a short morning and a longer afternoon nap that most of the time matches up with your big sister :).
-Are CRAWLING! You started 2 days ago and are getting better everyday, albeit still slow.
-Love doing everything your big sister does (well at least watch her!)
-Smile and turn your head in a flirty way to most men!

We love you Taylor and are so happy you are a healthy, happy 9 month old!

Ice Ice Baby

It has been downright chilly the last few days with some ice/freezing rain over the weekend. No white stuff....
Please notice that a certain "Marine" is outside in this weather working in his shed. Myself...inside with 3 layers on sipping coffee. Which one of us is crazy ;)?. I know that Blair has slept in weather like this.....